Chief Judge Mark MacDonnell sworn in

Judge Mark MacDonnell of Las Animas was sworn in as the new chief judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District on Friday afternoon by retiring Chief Judge Jon Kolomitz.

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By Bette McFarrenbette@ljtdmail.com

LA Junta Tribune - La Junta, CO

By Bette McFarrenbette@ljtdmail.com

Posted Feb. 4, 2013 at 3:00 PM

By Bette McFarrenbette@ljtdmail.com

Posted Feb. 4, 2013 at 3:00 PM

Judge Mark MacDonnell of Las Animas was sworn in as the new chief judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District on Friday afternoon by retiring Chief Judge Jon Kolomitz. He was appointed to the office by Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Bender. This is only the eighth swearing-in of a chief judge in the history of the Sixteenth Judicial District, said Kolomitz.

MacDonnell, who is one of nine brothers and sisters, had a large cheering section of family seated in the jury box. Seven of his siblings and their families joined in a wave by the entire packed courtroom before the ceremony. Many came from Las Animas, where he has served as a judge for 19 years. He has practiced law in Bent County for 23 years. Prior to that, he worked for Lutz and Oliver in Arvada.

MacDonnell received his bachelor of arts from Adams State College and juris doctorate from the University of Colorado. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Colorado County Attorneys Association, for which he received a Distinguished Service Award, has an Executive Board seat with the County Court Judges Association, and serves as a past president of the Sixteenth Judicial District Bar Association. In service to the state and community, MacDonnell is a board member sitting on the executive committee for the Bent County Development Foundation, a past president of the Bent County Library District, a member of the Las Animas High School Academic Accountability Committee, and past president of the Lions Club. He also lends his talents to Helping Hands of Las Animas and the Arkansas Valley Pregnancy Advisory Board.

The new Chief Judge MacDonnell thanked the retiring Chief Judge Kolomitz for his mentoring and also said he was honored and humbled by the large crowd of well-wishers packing the courtroom. It was standing room only as MacDonnell was sworn in. Extra chairs were brought in for latecomers. He particularly thanked his relatives, who came mainly from the Denver area. He said that he grew up in the Arvada area in a large family which emphasized education, hard work, fairness, kindness and respect for the law.

Kolomitz said that it is customary for a new chief judge to rule on a writ at his swearing-in ceremony as his first action. For this honor, they chose a Motion to Dismiss in the case of the People of Colorado v. Timothy Martinez. MacDonnell signed the order. The author of the motion was Ray Torrez of the Public Defender's Office, who was present at the ceremony with his wife, Gail Morrison, and infant son, Joaquin.

After the ceremony, the new chief judge and his wife, Kim, received the congratulations of the crowd in the courtroom, speaking with many individuals personally.